Ghost in the System
by Kessie-Louise
Summary: Set after episode 34: Time has no meaning in the Digiverse. But, although he has little control over it at this point, Zane knew that he should be the only 'User' available. That is... until a young laugh is heard like a blink on a radar that proves otherwise... Slight references to 'Return to Sender' but otherwise a standalone one-shot.


Time held no meaning in the Digiverse, that much Zane was certain of. As he strained to create a connection between the real world and this digital world, more of the new world around him made sense. But there was a disruption- something as obnoxious as a ping on a radar from an unknown target; a laugh. A laugh from a young source and it rang through the Digiverse like a bell. Zane searched for it, and what he found surprised him a bit.

A girl.

Zane had found a girl that looked around the age Lloyd should be if the Tomorrow's Tea had not been given to him. The girl had mousey brown, shoulder length hair that had a slight curl to it at the ends. She wore a black knee length summer dress that was adorned with a red belt-like sash. Zane could have sworn he had never seen her before, but she looked so familiar. Maybe she was part of the mainframe.

"Who are you?" Zane asked the girl as she tiptoed on some coding as if she was on a tightrope.

"I'm a vision of the future." she told him simply enough. "I exist, but then again I don't."

Zane thought about this a bit, but returned his attention (and curiosities) toward her again.

"Do you have a name?" he asked. She nodded.

"I do."

"Then... what is it?"

"Minerva."

Thinking about this, Zane continued to question her.

"How did you get here?" the Nindroid asked.

"I was born before being born, now I'm just a ghost in the system." she said, turning to face him with a curious half smile. Zane just simply stared at her.

"How... how old are you?" he asked. Minerva looked at him, then inspected her own body as if it was the first time she was aware that she had one.

"I think I'm about ten in outward appearance," she said thoughtfully. "Odd..."

"How is that odd?" Zane asked.

"When the Overlord first brought me here, I looked around fifteen. But now though..."

"How do you think it was possible?" Zane asked her. "How did the Overlord bring you into existence if you were from the future?"

"I was created by the Overlord as a means to discourage the Golden Ninja," she told him as her voice got slower and softer, "But when he was finished with me, I thought I was deleted. Gone for good. I wasn't though, and it scared me. I wondered 'maybe I could exist' and 'maybe I can be (or was) who the Overlord created me to be.' But I needed something, something that could assure that the utopian future the Overlord made up could still exist. That's when you came. We can still change the future. But we need hope, do you have it?"

Zane looked at her, not quite sure how to respond. Her sudden change in mood made him nearly fear her.

"I won't exist for another twenty years Zane," she said in a whisper. "Hope is all I have."

So her program must have been similar to malware; the Overlord thought that he had gotten rid of her, but she still existed in the hard drive. But could Zane trust her? She was created by the Overlord after all.

Did he have a choice, really?

"Zane... are you afraid of death?" Minerva asked him slowly after the two had stopped talking for a few moments.

"No." the white ninja said, then went silent before adding, "But I am afraid of you."

The little girl looked at him.

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head a little. His answer had certainly surprised her nonetheless, and it deserved a good answer.

"You claim that you are existing in a time line where you have yet to do so, but you still are able to roam the Digiverse around you as if it were nothing. You are rather confusing for me- and I must admit, it makes me rather terrified."

"Well... I'm afraid Zane." she then said, looking forward. "I haven't even been born yet, and I'm scared for whatever life I could live next."

"Then we can be scared together." Zane told her, hoping that she would understand that it was intended as a joke. She looked at him with a face that was rather pale and afraid.

"Zane..." the little girl said softly, "Promise me that you'll protect me if I promise to protect you."

"Of course." the Nindroid promised. The girl looked visibly relieved and gave a small smile.

Suddenly, something in Minerva's eyes shifted like she was seeing something far off. She remained where she was as a small smile etched her young face.

"Minerva?" Zane asked cautiously, stretching out a hand to touch her to see if she was okay. The first time he would have touched her, he realized in surprise.

Suddenly, she jumped back from him when he was only centimeters away from touching her.

"I will exist." she said, looking at him but not directly talking to him. "It's just so simple. All we have to do is..."

But her thoughts drifted away as something in her eyes shifted into focus and looked directly into Zane's eyes.

"I'm leaving now." she said, holding a rather odd trance on him. "But I'm always here, even when you don't know it. The technology of this era is so amazing... but it doesn't like me very well. I've been booted into this system and booted right back out. Maybe I'll be rebooted once more. Maybe not... Maybe next time..."

Slowly, Zane began to realize that she was fading away. He could sense her presence leaving as well. She really was leaving the Digiverse... but to where?

"Don't forget our promise Zane." she said, her voice fading away as well, "Even if you can't find me again, don't forget."

"I will never forget." Zane promised as she was just barely visible now. She smiled as she faded away for good, any kind of presence she had that Zane could trace was gone.

But this struck more questions than answers. Who was she? Better yet:

_What_ was she?


End file.
